For the second time in one week, the WNBA saw yet another sex toy thrown onto the court during a game. On August 1, the Golden State Valkyries-Chicago Sky game was halted briefly in the third quarter after a green dildo was spotted under the basket.
This follows a similar incident on July 29, when a dildo was thrown in the final minute of a Valkyries-Atlanta Dream game. Despite the distraction, Valkyries won both games, 73-66 against Sky and 77-75 against Dream.
Sky’s Elizabeth Williams called out the disrespect during the postgame press conference. “I don’t really get the point of it,” she said. “It’s really immature. Whoever is doing it needs to grow up.”
Following the game, New York Liberty’s Isabelle Harrison flagged the safety concern. “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??!” she said on X. “Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing anything on the court is dangerous.”
Valkyries’ Cecilia Zandalasini also called the incident dangerous. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” she said after the July 29 game. “I’m just glad we worked through that situation.”
According to WNBA, an individual was arrested after the Valkyries-Dream game in relation to the incident.
“In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities,” a spokesperson from the league told CNN.
Fighting for Higher Pay 
The first half of the Friday game. Photo from Chicago Sky/Facebook
The dildo-throwing happens amid negotiations between WNBA players and officials for higher pay in their next collective bargaining agreement (CBA), especially as the league’s popularity continues to soar.
During warm-ups before the All-Star game on July 19, the players wore shirts that said “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” Newsweek reports that the CBA meeting that week saw as many as 40 players trying to negotiate for higher pay with league officials.
Some basketball fans online argue that the WNBA players cannot expect to earn as much as their male counterparts, as the women’s basketball league does not make as much as the NBA.
However, the WNBA has seen significant growth in recent years. Last year’s season saw the league’s viewership increase by 170 percent from 2023, with an average of one million viewers per game telecast in 2024. Attendance also increased by 48 percent, with 2024 seeing a total of 2.3 million attendees across all games in the season, the highest in 22 years, according to the WNBA. The league’s 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon, and NBC, which takes effect in the next season, also promises to bring in an additional $200 million a year, according to ESPN.
Despite this, players currently only earn 9.3 percent of the WNBA’s revenue, a measly share compared to the average of 50 percent given to NBA players, according to the Times of India, which also reported that the next CBA talks are set to happen before the WNBA playoffs begin in August.